Work on a ship is tough. Long hours, demanding jobs, and being away from loved ones for months on end. Working on the coast is also difficult. No matter where you work, excellence is an expectation at the floor, not at the ceiling. A culture of continuous improvement means your boss is never satisfied. Constantly trying to do everything better, faster, and smarter can be exhausting. These are not traditional 9-to-5 jobs. These are roles for people who thrive on making an impact.
This was reminded of me in a very concrete way when two different employees told me about their experiences on separate occasions. They both previously worked in the public sector, one in a charity and the other in government. Both said they reluctantly left public service because they needed better pay. Although they were satisfied with public service, they were willing to give up that sense of purpose for a higher salary. Well, to my surprise, they felt like they had the best of both worlds. They felt a sense of purpose while still being paid well.
Of course, not everyone feels that way. Retaining top talent means keeping good people, but it also means parting ways with people who aren't a good fit. I purposely use the word fit rather than performance. In many organizations, termination is similar to a traditional divorce, where people are forced to find fault with each other until they hate each other. This often results in a vicious cycle in which both senior and junior colleagues are forced to emphasize the other's failures. Protecting employees from bad bosses is important, but at the leadership level, no-fault separation is usually more constructive than an adversarial process.
The real issue is usually fit, not fitness.
I saw a vivid example of this when we moved two senior executives into new roles. In the morning, one of them came to me and said that Sam, the new second-in-command, was useless and that he wanted to replace him with Kevin, the former number two. In the afternoon, another executive said exactly the opposite. Since Kevin is useless, they wanted to replace him with Sam. Obviously, Kevin and Sam can't be both useless and great at the same time. The problem wasn't their ability. It was his compatibility with the new leader. Sam and Kevin swapped positions and it worked out very well. The problem wasn't performance. It was perfect.
Even with the best talent, supporting and encouraging a culture of WOW requires ongoing effort. Real education happens outside of the classroom and through daily osmosis. There is no simple list of rules, no how-to manual, no formula. Instead, communication habits, practices, and styles are constantly reinforced. I have experience. And therein lies the power of “WOW”.
One of the ways we encourage that is through cross-fertilization. As part of a normal career path, we actively move employees between departments to broaden their horizons and deepen their understanding of the business. Michael Bailey, currently president and CEO of Royal Caribbean brands, has joined the company as purser. After that, I came ashore and worked in human resources, marketing, onboard revenue, and hotel operations. Laura Hodges-Besge, President of Celebrity Cruises Brands, started as an accessibility specialist before spending time in sales, finance, purchasing, operations, and investor relations. Royal Caribbean CEO Jason Liberty started out as an internal auditor before becoming responsible for finance, technology, supply chain and the Silversea brand.
Across our organization, we make a deliberate effort to rotate talent across departments to break down silos and hopefully stimulate fresh thinking. Such a wide range of experience not only enhances your skill set, but also encourages anyone to discuss virtually any topic, as there is no mystique of expertise. This cross-fertilization means that the person across the table is more likely to challenge you (or at least argue with you) because they've likely been at your seat before. Debate becomes more constructive as more voices are empowered and entitled to dissent.
Unfortunately, as we have more than 100,000 employees, we know that some employees may abuse our systems and violate our policies. There's no perfect answer to this, but it's important to strive to ensure all employees have a reliable way to voice their concerns. Like many companies, we have implemented an employee hotline where you can anonymously report issues. Most importantly, make sure every call is treated with the importance it deserves, and engage people outside the chain of command and across the organization to make a collective effort. We also provide updates to callers using a code that allows callers to obtain report updates while maintaining anonymity.
Listening, and really listening, is essential at every level of an organization. Whether it's creating a secure, anonymous channel for employees to report misconduct or understanding what guests need before boarding, the ability to respond with care and thoughtfulness makes a big difference.
Reprinted with permission of Fast Company Press. Excerpt from Delivering greatness: Culture as a catalyst for sustained success Written by Richard Fain. Copyright 2025 Fast Company Press. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
